Marinwood's Mickey Mouse Christmas house to be featured on national television show

One Marinwood family known for their over-the-top Disney-themed decor is pitting their holiday display against 19 others nationwide as part of a televised competition premiering Monday night on the ABC network.

For more than three decades Les and Patty Mize have decked the halls of their Mickey Mouse Christmas house, as it's affectionately known in Marinwood, to the delight of visitors from all over the Bay Area. This year they upped the ante by opting to participate in "The Great Christmas Light Fight."

The Mize family saw an ABC casting call posted on a Christmas lights website and decided to throw their hat into the ring. Eileen Mize, the couple's eldest daughter, took charge of signing the family up to compete.

"We jumped through a whole lot of hoops," Eileen Mize said. "I can't wait to see it to see what footage actually makes it in."

If it wasn't for Eileen, her parents said their television debut would be a distant dream. She coordinated the effort, ensuring forms were filled out for herself, her parents, her five siblings, her siblings' significant others and her four nieces and nephews.

"There were 92 pieces of paper each times 17 people," Les Mize said.

Each year the Mizes' children and extended family help decorate the home on Blackstone Drive, which features a two-car garage filled to the brim with Disney figurines like Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Winnie the Pooh displayed behind a glass wall. The entire driveway, front lawn, front windows and entryway are adorned with Disney characters and a traditional Nativity scene.

Throughout the year, the Mizes collect figurines and stuffed animals of characters from new Disney movies and invent new homemade ways to display their collection. New features this year include an LED "Merry Christmas" sign made by one of their sons, handmade green Army men from "Toy Story" scaling the side of the home via a string of lights and signs welcoming visitors to Radiator Springs from "Cars."

"Ours has a story. It's not just lights," Les Mize said about his display.

Starting with Monday's 9 p.m. premiere, four families will compete each week on "The Great Christmas Light Fight" to have the best Christmas light display, earning winners at least $50,000 in prize money. Michael Moloney and Sabrina Soto, both from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," will serve as judges for the series.

The Mizes will be featured Dec. 23 and are the only family from Northern California on the show. Les Mize has already started sizing up his competition, which ranges from homes in Connecticut to properties in Illinois.

"After they posted the last names of the families and their cities, anyone can go on Google and then go find a Christmas lights website with photos," Les Mize said.

In order to prepare for the show's filming, the family had to start decorating in early October when others were gearing up for Halloween. Donning dark green sweatshirts with a handcrafted "Team Mize" logo, the family got to work.

"We had 21 days to complete it. It was a very rigid schedule," Patty Mize said.

In addition to handing out chocolates on Halloween, Les Mize said he gave away candy canes in honor of his Christmas décor and to acknowledge the odd mixing of holidays. He said a group of about four costumed middle school-aged boys even came to the door and began singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" instead of saying "Trick-or-Treat."

"We were saying 'Merry Halloween' to everyone," Les Mize said.

The family estimates they collectively spent more than 1,000 hours decorating the house. Each family member worked whenever they could, on weekends, around weddings and youth dance classes to make the Mize house the spectacle it is today.

Eileen Mize said the family emails and text messages trying to coordinate everybody's time with the projects that needed attention were hilarious. Though it was stressful at times, she said it was well worth the effort.

"We'll be laughing about this as a family for years to come," Eileen Mize said.

Her mother agreed.

"It was a good adventure for the family," Patty Mize said. "Everybody pulled together."

 The house at 417 Blackstone Drive will be lit nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. through New Year's Eve. "The Great Christmas Light Fight" airs at 9 p.m. Monday on ABC, with two back-to-back episodes set for Dec. 16 and Dec. 23.  Visit www.facebook.com/MickeyMouseChristmasHouse for more information.